CommuNIqué - Newsletter of the Bahá'í Community in Northern Ireland
Issue 141 - 2 Sharaf 165 BE - 1 January 2009 CE

 

THE PASSING OF BETTY REED

 

Betty Reed


TRIBUTE FROM THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

We grieve at the news of the passing of stalwart, devoted maidservant of Bahá’u’lláh Betty Reed. Her decades of sacrificial labour for the Cause of God in the fields of teaching and administration are remembered with profound admiration. The commencement of her seventeen years of dedicated service on the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles coincided with the inception of the Ten Year Crusade. Impelled by her deep appreciation of the exigencies of the Divine Plan, she worked with relentless vigour for the successful accomplishment of the goals set by Shoghi Effendi, both on the home front and abroad. Following nine years as the National Assembly’s Secretary, Betty served with distinction for fifteen years as a Continental Counsellor, travelling widely in the promotion of the vital interests of the Faith. Her irrepressible enthusiasm, her capacity to galvanize the believers into action, and the indomitable strength of her spirit are immortalized in the annals of the Cause. Our heartfelt prayers will be offered in the Holy Shrines for the progress of her illumined soul.

We call for a memorial service in her honour to be held in the Mother Temple of Europe and commemorative gatherings to take place in your national community.

TRIBUTE FROM THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY

National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United Kingdom
25 October 2008

Dearly loved Friends,

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing, in the early hours of this morning, of our dearly loved and greatly admired Betty Reed. Betty became a Bahá'í some sixty years ago and immediately threw herself into the work of the Faith.  She was a capable teacher and administrator and was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly in 1953, serving as its Secretary from 1961 until her appointment to the European Board of Counsellors in 1970. Betty was one of the first believers from this community to be elevated to such a high rank in the Faith.  She served as a Counsellor until November 1985. During these years of service, Betty travelled extensively throughout Europe encouraging and inspiring the believers to teach the Faith and to greater acts of sacrifice and service. Staunchness of faith, unfailing reliability, a keen sense of humour, unswerving devotion to the Head of the Faith were among the many brilliant qualities that shone through Betty's many years of devoted and selfless service to the Cause she loved with all her heart and soul.  Betty was passionately devoted to the beloved Guardian, whom she had the great honour of meeting on pilgrimage in the 1950s.

Betty spent her final years in Northern Ireland where she continued to encourage and inspire the friends until the very last days of her life.  The National Spiritual Assembly will pray for the progress of Betty's noble soul in the worlds beyond, confident that the Blessed Beauty has destined for her a great reward for her constancy and fidelity in the path of His love.

With loving Bahá'í greetings,
National Spiritual Assembly,
Kishan Manocha,
Secretary.

THE FUNERAL OF BETTY REED

Betty Reed’s journey through this earthly plane ended on 25 October 2008, in the 87th year of her age, when she passed away peacefully in Richmond Nursing Home in Cultra, which overlooks Belfast Lough. Her funeral service took place in Kirkwoods Funeral Parlour, 150A Kings Road, Knock, Belfast, on the morning of Thursday 30th October. On the night previous to her funeral service, a small group of eight friends, two of whom had travelled from Iceland for the occasion, attended the reading of the Prayer for the Dead in an intimate, reverential gathering. Three members of the Wayfarers Northern Ireland Bahá'í Choir spontaneously sang Ya Baha’u’ll Abha. Next day, on a bright, sunny morning, 40 friends, Baha’i and from the wider community, gathered for the funeral service, which commenced at 11.30 am.

They had travelled from various parts of Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, England, and Iceland. Among them were Counsellor Vivien Craig, representing the Continental Board of Counsellors in Europe; Dr Kishan Manocha, representing the National Spiritual Assembly of the United Kingdom, Alison Wortley, representing the NSA of the Republic of Ireland;,and Barbara Thinat and Svana Einarsdottir who represented the NSA of Iceland. Indeed, the international recognition of Betty’s services to the Faith was a major theme throughout.

The funeral service began with the reading of a message from the Universal House of Justice, describing Betty as a ‘stalwart, devoted maid-servant of Baha’u’llah, and expressing ‘profound admiration’ for her decades of sacrificial labour for the Cause of God. This was followed by the highly appropriate musical interlude “The Queen of Carmel”. The service had been arranged in accordance with Betty’s wishes, and included some of her favourite prayers and readings, spoken in English, Persian, and Icelandic.

A piece of music by Pachelbel was the prelude to a tribute from the Continental Board of Counsellors in Europe, an Institution on which Betty had served for many years with such distinction. It spoke of ‘our highly respected and much loved Betty Reed’ saying her services ‘enriched the annals of this Institution’. The message from the National Spiritual Assembly of the United Kingdom spoke of ‘our dearly loved and greatly admired Betty Reed’. It went on to list the astonishing services Betty had rendered this community over many decades.

Before reading the message of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iceland, its representative said that Betty was loved in that community as no-one else ever before. The message spoke of the ‘deep sense of respect and gratitude that the National Assembly of the Baha’is of Iceland pays in tribute to the life and service of Betty Reed’. She ‘put an important mark on the history of the Baha’i Faith in Iceland…. and earned a special place in the hearts of the believers’. They requested permission to say a prayer in Icelandic.

There followed a beautiful, moving eulogy by a local believer which referred to Betty as ‘a rose of steel.’ He told us of his talks with Betty, during which she said the favourite thing that she had written about the Faith were the Pokka stories. How blest we in Northern Ireland had been to have had such a personage as Betty Reed reside here. The last piece of music was by Betty’s favourite composer Mahler. It started slowly but quickly built up to many crescendos before fading gently away. One of the friends made the astute remark to me that it was a reflection of Betty’s own life.

Betty’s earthly remains were gently and lovingly laid to rest in Clandeboye Cemetery, on the outskirts of Bangor in Plot No LX4894.

Afterwards all retired to the nearby Clandeboye Lodge Hotel for light refreshments. It was here that the other messages, too numerous to be read at the service were shared. These included messages from the following National Spiritual Assemblies – Republic of Ireland, Germany, Australia, Switzerland, and Luxembourg, while individual messages were received from Ian Semple and Jamshid Arjomandi. This was followed by a wonderfully happy time of reminiscences about Betty from the friends.

This was one of the most spiritually uplifting experiences I have ever had. I cannot end without acknowledging the efforts made by the organisers of the day- Marion Khosravi, and Patricia and Hushang Jamshidi. Thank you, thank you for an experience I will never forget.

EW

For details of memorial meeting click here

 

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